"Echoes", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "The different graphical styles throughout the game’s five chapters might not fully distract you from the sparing use of music and sound effects, but if you like a good mystery/thriller with a horror edge to it that keeps you second guessing, the characters and their stories here will certainly pull you in. Echoes definitely isn’t for those looking for a typical puzzle-solving adventure game, but if you want to spend a few hours clicking through an interactive graphic novel with some light adventuring sprinkled in, making some conversational choices along the way that subtly impact the outcome of the story, you’ll be solidly entertained the first time through and may even decide it’s worth coming back for more."

 

"Farewell North", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: "As I started playing Farewell North, I didn’t find it very adventurey. Sure, it was cool running around as a dog chasing a little blue light around, but the otherwise colorless setting didn’t warm my heart. Then I faced the first obstacles and things got more interesting, and even a little tricky here and there. And when I succeeded in returning color to the first island I visited, it was as if the entire game came to life for me, and the shared magical journey of Chesley and Cailey touched a chord inside me. It’s a very serious game, uncovering deep emotions, but it includes just enough comic relief, like Chesley’s interactions with the wildlife. What at first seemed little more than a cozy exploration game became something resembling a real-life adventure through a jaw-droppingly beautiful land I’d love to visit personally. The narrative builds up to a bittersweet finale through a variety of fun gameplay styles as you feel ever more invested in the deep love between woman and dog, making it ideal for animal lovers, nature fans, or anyone who could use a little more color in their own lives."

I finished "King's Quest V" in 7 hours and with 55 save files!

Wow, didn't expect that score!

Wow, what a journey that was! I had no idea I would like this game so much. I had expected it to be a struggle, with lots of restores at the end, going back to the complete start of the game to pick up on things I missed. And yes, I did have to do that occassionally, but I never had to go back THAT far. I must admit, I had a little outside help. People had warned me about the rat, for instance. And about the pie. So that was great advice, and I was able to handle them appropriately and even at the first try. So, much obliged, dear fellow point 'n clickers! I'm sure the game would have taken a bit longer, otherwise.

Okay, let's mount this Caradhras!

Last time I thought it was time to get rid of the snake. And yes indeed, I succeeded after using a couple of inventory items. In hindsight, it makes sense what you need to use but I never thought of the solution myself; it was just trial and error at that point. I think what helped me through this first section of the game was my notebook: everytime I encountered something, I wrote down what it was and ususally what was needed there. Basically trying to compile my own puzzle dependency chart. Playing the game in this structured way has helped me before, with Quest for Glory 3, for instance.

Release the Kracken!

The second part of the game was easier, in my opinion, and I kinda rushed through the mountains. The next section, however, was terrible. I lost count of how many times that sea monster gobbled me up. This was like the desert; I had no idea where to go, so I tried to go about it systematically again, just trying directions, but this beast seemed to pop up randomly, at least I couldn't detect a pattern behind it which might have shown me the right way to go. I found the island by sheer luck. I don't know how much time I lost here. I did wonder if this section inspired the part in Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard where you have to maneuver the ship through the rocks.

Herman?

After the sea bit, however, I reached Mordack's castle. Now the first part of that, finding my way through the labyrinth, was pretty straightforward. I just followed the walls around, always keeping my hand on the right wall so to speak. Something I learned to do exploring the apartment building in Silent Hill 2. But then in the rooms of the castle itself, I was completely lost. I got locked in the dungeon over and over again, Mordack killed me over and over again, I got THIS close to getting completely frustrated because I knew this was the end game, and I just couldn't figure it out. I knew somewhat what I had to do, because I found a strange machine and it could do something to one of my inventory items, but I was still missing a counterpart and I had no idea how to get it.

Kinda looks like the Death Star...

So yeah, I admit I looked this one up and I was astonished, because there was a complete room I missed! But even had I found that room, I don't think I would've been able to progress without that extra knowledge. Then I still died a couple of times during the final battle, which reminded me of the wizard's duel in that old Disney movie, The Sword in the Stone. I finished the game with a final score of 253 out of 260 points. Which was the old Sierra equivalent of today's achievements and trophies in games.

Graham is buff!

So all in all, quite an enjoyable game. The first part was mostly exploring, finding the right items to progress, and trying to avoid the occasional death scene. The middle part was pretty straightforward, didn't have much trouble with that. The final part is where I restored the most games. In the end, I had about 55 save files; sometimes I would overwrite one when I was sure I had the right thing, but in that final part I think I added at least 20 unique saves because I was so scared something would go wrong; which it usually did.

The next "classic" game I'll play will probably be Willy Beamish, but I'll be playing some other things first, I think.

3 hours and several dead-ends into "King's Quest 5"

Death scene n° 7

So, during my second playthrough session I decided to enter the forbidden forest. Big mistake. The witch turned me into a frog instantly. So I took my little notebook and scratched down "need magical armour". And thus I went to explore all locations again.

Dead end n°1

That's when the ants gave me a hand and precured an item I could use to enter another, closed-off location. And lo and behold, that ultimately delivered me a magical amulet! So, back into the forest I went! And indeed, the witch couldn't bespell me anymore. So I was able to explore the forest, but all I could do was let myself by caught by either a giant spider or a man-eating plant. I tried looking for the next move, but soon I gathered I had still entered the forest too early and unprepared.

These guys know how to party...

A restore brought me back to town, but I couldn't find anything else to do. Then I remembered the desert.  I had seen it, but didn't venture into it yet. Perhaps it was time to do so. Thinking I'd probably die because I didn't possess a water pouch or anything, I went ahead anyway, following the rocky cliffs until finally I suddenly found myself at the Middle-Eastern city of Petra in Jordan; or at least this game's equivalent. A couple of horsemen killed me because I was too busy taking a screenshot. I could easily hide from them next time. But when I tried to enter the temple, of course the door didn't open. I needed the staff the horsemen used, so I assumed I had to follow them. 

Will I find the Holy Grail here?

I lost count of how many times I died in the desert. I had no idea where to go, after all. So I took on the task systematically, until I found an oasis. From that point, I repeated the process, until I reached an encampment after several more tries of roaming in the wrong direction, finding a second oasis in one place, and a skeleton with a shoe in another. Then of course the horseman killed me as I tried to make off with his staff, so I took notice to be more careful during my second attempt. I entered the temple but of course got locked in soon after. Finally I made it out with a couple of new items, hoping to use them in a couple of locations I hadn't been able to do much so far.

Saved a rat. Could be important...

And yes, the temple treasure set in motion a string of events, basically finishing off a series of fetch quests. I was able to vanquish the witch and finally procure an item from every shop in town. Oh, and I saved some rat from some cat while backtracking. Got a bunch of items now, but nothing that looks like it can get rid of the snake blocking the mountain path, even though I think I've done all I can in this area now. Guess I'll just have to try some things...

"Devil's Hideout", my Adventure Game Hotspot review!

Read my full review on Adventure Game Hotspot!

Excerpt: Although Devil’s Hideout is a short game, this developer definitely knows how to keep his audience glued to the screen. There’s never a dull moment, always with some puzzle or other to solve, alternating with some thankfully non-frustrating mini-games and gorgeously horrific locations to explore, filled with creepy characters that seem to have walked straight out of a horror movie. Lauren is a great heroine, a strong woman who will do anything to save her sister, though she still gets scared and freaked out by the crazy stuff she encounters. The “fan service” jump scares never stopped getting to me, which did get a bit annoying in the end if I’m totally honest. While at first I was baffled by the sudden ending, it hit me not long after that the writer wanted to subtly hint at a possible hidden truth without outright stating it as fact, keeping the player guessing, which I can appreciate. It might leave you yearning for a firmer resolution, but in its own way it nicely wraps up a well-written horror tale where the devil can be hiding around every corner.

Classic time: "King's Quest V" playthrough

New game!

I've started playing King's Quest V and I'm 1 hour into it!

This is actually the second time in my life I started playing this game. Last time, some years ago, I died not half an hour into it, simply by visiting a bar. I so wasn't into random deaths at the time, so no idea what I was doing playing a Sierra game, but I've matured since then so it's about time I give this classic point 'n click adventure another chance.

Now where to go first...

I'm King Graham, and the evil wizard Mordack has just run off with my castle. Cedric the Owl witnessed it all, and he takes me to the good wizard Crispin, who hands me his old wand and sends me on my way. Cedric tells me best to go into town first to get some supplies. All this is told in an 11 minute intro cutscene. Which is pretty long for today's standards, but I guess back in the day everyone was in awe of the beautiful backgrounds. They're still beautiful, but 11 minutes before you actually get to play?! Thankfully, you can skip that intro if you so wish...

Not the first enchanted tree I met in a Sierra game...

This first hour I've mainly been exploring. I met an enchanted willow tree in need of  a golden heart to undo the spell. I saved some ants from a dog and some bees from a bear. I bought a custard pie from the local baker. Met a prince searching for his princess. There's a cloak in a shop I'm guessing I'll need to buy somehow. And there's a snake blocking the path into the mountains.

Quaint little town...

There's also a dark forest with a foreboding sign at the entrance. That's where I'll explore next. Not sure if that's a good idea yet, but I've already got 10 saved games. I learned my lesson when I died 24 minutes in when Graham fell into a river...

Sigh...

 (Okay, I admit it, I did that on purpose...)